Japan to pay $3.1bn to remove US troops from Okinawa, will host spy drones

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (L) US Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd L) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (2nd R) and Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera pose for photos at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on October 3, 2013. (AFP Photo/Koji Sasahara) / AFP

Tokyo is to foot a $3.1 billion bill, which is part of the cost for relocating American troops from Okinawa. For the first time, it will also host US long-range surveillance drones, which would help to monitor disputed islands in the East China Sea.

The cost-sharing agreement for the troop transfer and the future
deployment of drones by next spring are both part of an effort
aimed at updating the US-Japan military and diplomatic
alliance.

The pledge to modernize the alliance for the first time in 16
years was made in a joint declaration during the visit of US
Secretary of State John Kerry and US Defense Secretary Chuck
Hagel, who met their Japanese counterparts, Foreign Minister
Fumio Kishida and Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera.

Japan hosts some 50,000 American soldiers and officers,
particularly in Okinawa. Their presence is a constant source of
tension with local populations due to crimes committed by the
servicemen, disruptions caused by military flights and land use
by the US military.

Last year the countries announced a plan to relocate about 9,000
US Marines from Okinawa to other locations. 5,000 of them will go
to Guam while others will be stationed elsewhere. The estimated
cost of the relocation is about $8.6 billion.

Japan will cover $3.1 billion of that sum, the officials from the
two countries announced on Thursday. The cost includes
development of new facilities in Guam and the Northern Mariana
Islands.

As the foot soldiers leave, US Global Hawk unmanned aircraft will
be arriving, marking the first time that American drones will be
stationed on Japanese soil on a permanent basis. Two or three
long-range spy drones will be placed at a US base to help monitor
Japan’s territory.

While the disputed Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea was not
mentioned in the documents, the islands contested by Japan, China
and Taiwan was a prevailing topic in public speeches after the
signing.

Hagel said the US reiterated that it recognizes Japan's
administration of the islands and has responsibilities to protect
Japanese territory under a mutual defense treaty.

The US will also deploy second X-band early warning radar in
Japan. Officials were careful to stress that it will be directed
against North Korea rather than China, and will help track down
and probably intercept missiles coming from the defiant state.
The plan to deploy radar was first announced by the then-Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta about a year ago. The new system will be
placed at Kyogamisaki air base in Kyoto prefecture in western
Japan to complement already existing radar in the northern part
of Japan.

Beijing however may not be convinced by the assurances. It has
criticized the installation of the inaugural military radar,
saying it could disrupt the strategic military balance in the
region and destabilize the situation.

Other plans to boost US military presence in Japan include
possible deployment of F-35 jet fighters around 2017, a top UN
official told AP. There is also a plan to send Navy P-8
anti-submarine aircraft later this year - the first time the
sub-killers deployment outside of US.

The upgrade also expands cooperation in areas like
counter-terrorism and cyber warfare. The Internet threat is the
one that Japan sometimes cannot defend itself against with the
systems it currently has, Kazunori Kimura, the Defense Ministry's
director of cyber-defense planning, told Reuters.